The Pits

Hunt's Hesketh under the hammer

The Hesketh car which helped propel James Hunt to the top of F1 is up for auction, and could fetch just under half a million pounds.

The Hesketh 308 was used by Hunt in his first full season in F1, 1974, in which he qualified on pole for the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch and won the Silverstone International Trophy. It is currently in the hands of its sixth owner, based in Las Vegas, who gave it a renovation to restore it back to its 1974 spec.

It was behind the wheel of the sister car, the 308B, that Hunt took his first victory at Zandvoort the following season. Hunt's success at Hesketh earned him a drive at McLaren for 1976, where he won the world title by one point from Niki Lauda in his first season, which became the subject of the film Rush.

The car is powered by a 485bhp V8 Cosworth engine and is expected to be sold for between €400,000-€600,000 (£331,900 - £497,000) on May 10 by RM Auctions in Monaco.